Delaware's Online Gambling Market Off To Slow Start

The state of Delaware has revealed the financial numbers for its online betting industry, noting that both players and revenues have fallen below expectations.

The numbers show that through December, only 4,000 players had registered online betting accounts, and that the casinos brought in just $253,000 in revenues. On average there are just 18 players online at any time, which pales in comparison to the numbers reported by both New Jersey and Nevada, who both have online betting markets themselves.

One of the factors said to be impacting the lack of revenues and players is the fact that several financial institutions have rejected the deposit transactions that players attempted. Delaware's Lottery Director Vernon Kirk said that as many as 70% of Visa deposits and 30% of MasterCard deposits have been rejected by the banks.

Despite the lackluster numbers, Kirk remains optimistic on his state's future prospects, noting: “In and of itself, it’s not going to be the thing that solves everybody’s financial issues. It’s a piece of the puzzle, and it’s got a lot of potential.”